The present invention relates to a fee charging system for use in cases in which information such as video information is supplied for pay via a satellite broadcasting system, a community antenna television (CATV) system, a video cassette tape, or an optical disk and, in particular, to a charging system and a charging method for use in cases in which particular information such as information of commercial messages is simultaneously supplied as a portion of, for example, video information.
Conventionally, when information including video information is supplied via a CATV system or the like, if such particular information as information of commercials is not supplied together with video information in pay-television systems, for example, of the Nippon Hoso Kyokai (NHK) (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) and WOWOW (one of the broadcasting satellite services in Japan), the subscribers of such television broadcasting systems are uniformly charged for the received video information for each predetermined period of time. With the income, the broadcasting organizations conduct operations to supply various programs to the users. Furthermore, even when information is supplied to subscribers for pay via a video-cassette tape or an optical disk, for example, in a rental system, the particular information such as commercial information is not supplied together with video information. Namely, the amount of charge is decided for each program (for each videocassette tape or optical disk). In contrast therewith, for example, in a commercial broadcasting system using ground waves, the particular information including commercial information is supplied together with video information. That is, since such a broadcasting or so-called video information system is operated to serve the video information on the income from sponsors of the information, the viewers can obtain information free of charge.
Charging systems for pay-television broadcasting system have been described, in for example Japanese Patent Applications Un-examined Publication Nos. JP-A-5-95296 and JP-A-3-147490.
In the charging system of conventional pay-television broadcasting and pay information media, the charging operation is accomplished when transmitted digital video information is received and reproduced. The scrambled state of signals is thereafter descrambled. Alternatively, after an amount of charge is paid in advance, the digital video information is supplied to the pertinent user. Once the digital video information supplied to a user is descrambled as above, the information can be, in principle, arbitrarily recorded to produce copies thereof as many times as desired.
If the copying of digital information is allowed without limitation, it will be against copyrighter's interests. Moreover, this leads to decrease in the income of the supplier of video information. Additionally, when the amount of charge for information is determined the assumption of an arbitrary number of copies are to be made of the information on the user side, the amount of charge will be undesirably increased.
It is predictable that development and advance in multimedia will enhance expansion in utilization of video-on-demand services and CATV systems. Video-on-demand has a remarkable merit or feature in that necessary video information can be arbitrarily attained at a desired point of time. However, there is no room for particular information such as information of a commercial message. As a result, the cost of equipment as well as the maintaining cost necessary to supply services including the video-on-demand service are reflected in the amount of charge to be paid for the acquisition of video information. This therefore hinders a low-cost supply of video information.
Furthermore, in a commercial broadcasting system using ground waves, since commercial messages broadcasted during programs interrupt the stream of each program, the effect or quality of programs such as an entertaining feature thereof is deteriorated.